It’s 20th Anniversary time over here at guitarguitar, and I cannot believe we’re over the halfway point of the year already!
Each month, we’ve been teaming up with a major guitar brand to help us celebrate our 20th birthday by bringing you events, deals and competitions! July was Martin month, and they delivered a veritable cornucopia of fun happenings.
Here’s a quick recap of the month we’ve just had…
Events & Competitions
First off, we’ve collaborated with Martin to bring some excellent events to our stores. Thank you to everyone who attended, because without you, there really isn’t any point in throwing these events!
Unleash the Artist
The big event last month was Unleash the Artist. In conjunction with Martin and also Maggie’s Rock’ n’ Rodeo in Glasgow, we hosted a competition during the venue’s One Night In Tennessee event, with the competition prize being a fantastic Martin D-15E acoustic AND top billing on the night !
We received loads and loads of entries from you, so thank you to everyone who took the time to enter: we have some super-talented customers!
In the end, we (and Martin) selected Devin Casson as the winner. With a great voice and a very cool double capo technique, she really stood out to us. Well done Devin! And thanks to everyone who performed at Maggie’s Rockin’ Rodeo, it was a wonderful night!
Martin History Night
No seat was left empty in Epsom when Martin expert Tommy McGinley showed up for a night of Martin history. Accompanied by top musician Connor Thomas, Tommy delighted the audience with anecdotes, tales and legends from Martin’s rich heritage. Tommy lives and breathes this stuff, and with Connor on hand to bring some musical light and shade, the event was an essential experience for guitar fans.
Folk Masterclass
The Glasgow store saw a pretty special - not to mention inspiring - evening of world-class folk playing from Jenn Butterworth and Laura-Beth Salter.
Both are seasoned industry pros who play a number of different instruments, and we were excited to host them for an evening masterclass that saw the duo not only perform songs but also speak about their professional experience. They both shared plenty of tips and insights for fellow folkies to take away, and even took part in a Q&A! What a fantastic night!
Songwriting Masterclass
Our Camden store was the place to be on the 18th, when none other than The Shires’ Ben Earle joined us to give a masterclass on the art of songwriting. As a worldwide success in the world of songwriting, Ben is a guy to pay attention to for sure, and loads of you turned up to this exclusive event. From how to actually write a song to how to navigate the industry, Ben shared some invaluable tips and tools for anyone looking to follow his example.
If you didn’t manage to attend any of these awesome events, don’t get too sad: we still have a LOT of stuff planned for the months ahead! Sign up to the newsletter for advance notice, and come along to our future events
Blogs
Over here on the website, we were as busy as ever, preparing lots of special Martin-centric content for you.
We revisited the Martin SC-13E to report on it some four years after its release;
We rounded up a list of some of the greatest Martin artists from across the brand’s history;
We wrote a piece for newbies on how to choose their first Martin guitar;
We checked out some of the best movies out there that feature a Martin guitar. From early doors cowboy movies to latter period cowboy movies and all points in between, we’ve got a host of Hollywood-sprinkled Martin moments for you.
Thank You
As I said, we are over half way through our anniversary journey, and on behalf of everyone here at guitarguitar, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of it. Whether you’ve joined us at an event or two, followed the story on our socials or popped into your local gg store, thank you sincerely. We’re here because of you, and we hope you’re having fun with us this year, because that’s what we want more than anything else. What’s an anniversary without friends to help celebrate?!
So, that was Martin month. Thanks to Martin for collaborating with us! This month (August) is…Ibanez month! Bring it!
